Rafael Benitez v Manuel Pellegrini: Would Rafa thrive once again if given the spending power of West Ham United?
After their recent 3-0 defeat to West Ham United at St James Park, Newcastle United boss Rafael Benitez insisted that the Hammers spending power was the difference between the two sides.
West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini was backed with over £90m worth of talent in the summer, whereas Benitez spent a modest £17m on new additions.
It’s evident that Benitez will need to bring in new recruits in the January transfer window if Newcastle are to avoid a relegation battle, but that all depends on the board.
At the start of the season, both clubs were languishing at the bottom of the table but Benitez and Pellegrini have both overseen an upturn in fortunes in recent times.
Both managers have strong pedigrees and although Pellegrini has the upper hand in terms of spending currently, it would be interesting to see how Benitez would compare against the Chilean if given similar funds.
Here, we take a look at how both managers shape up and determine whether Benitez would revive Newcastle if provided equal spending power.
What their records say
Benitez and Pellegrini both crafted their trade in Spain’s top flight, and the duo became highly sought-after property with their exploits at Valencia and Villarreal respectively.
Benitez is still the only manager in world football to win the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA World Club Cup.
The former Liverpool boss won two La Liga titles whilst at Valencia, before a successful stint at Anfield before entertaining Inter Milan, Napoli and Real Madrid.
Despite being dismissed from the San Siro and Bernabeu, Benitez did manage to win the Supercoppa Italiana and Club World Cup for Inter whilst he lifted the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa for a second time with Napoli.
Pellegrini shot into the limelight after guiding Villarreal to a Champions League semi-final in 2006, narrowly losing out to Arsenal.
‘The yellow submarine’ also stopped Real Madrid and Barcelona’s dominance when they finished second in the 2007/08 campaign.
His consistent record at Villarreal generated interest from Real, with Los Blancos swooping to get their man in 2009.
Pellegrini’s time at the Bernabeu was short lived and although he managed 96 points – a Madrid record at the time – it wasn’t enough to win the title and he was swiftly removed.
A much more successful stint at Malaga followed where he led them to third in the league and to the quarter-finals of the Champions League the following campaign.
Manchester City were next for Pellegrini and the oil-rich club tasted success in the Chilean’s first season, guiding them to a second Premier League title.
Who’s most reputable?
Both managers have exceeded expectations at some point in their careers as well as underperformed, but Benitez and Pellegrini will always be regarded as world class managers.
Their CV’s are very impressive and both have certainly left their mark whilst managing in England, leaving West Ham and Newcastle fans more than optimistic Pellegrini and Benitez can move both clubs forward.
With that in mind, Benitez has been shackled in his task to bring the glory days back to St James’ Park. Mike Ashley’s tenure has always been scrutinised by the Geordie faithful and despite the lack of funds Benitez is provided, he continues to get the best out of what he has to work with.
From Pellegrini’s perspective, it’s been the polar opposite in terms of being able to identify and purchase players of high quality.
Kevin de Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Fernandinho are just three signings that Pellegrini purchased whilst City boss, for a total of £161m.
The likes of Issa Diop, Andriy Yarmolenko and Felipe Anderson have joined Pellegrini at the London Stadium this season with the latter making a really good impression; his best performance coming in the recent 3-0 win over Newcastle.
Benitez has purchased high-calibre players in previous jobs but since taking over Newcastle in 2016, it has meant the Spaniard has had a shoe-string budget to work on but has done so with great results. Even if Newcastle are priced at 4/1 in the Premier League relegation odds.
It would be interesting to see how Pellegrini would fare if provided similar circumstances as Benitez, with the likelihood he’d potentially struggle at first but could mirror the former Liverpool boss’ work.
In comparison, Pellegrini and Benitez are seemingly on par with each other when it comes to reputation, trophy’s won and man management skills.
However, with Rafa’s inability to fine-tune a squad of his own at Newcastle, it begs the question why he didn’t force through a switch to east London in the summer, where he certainly would have thrived again if given the funds of Pellegrini.
